Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently took on the state of the U.S. in the wake of yet another gun-related mass killing. He also tackled the assault weapon controversy and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, specifically his fear-fueled, racist rhetoric.
In this article written for Time, Abdul-Jabbar says:
‘ISIS is indeed an enemy–to America, to Muslims, to the world–one that should be destroyed as quickly as possible. But we have to identify all the enemies we must fight, not just the easily targeted one that meets our need for vengeance. The satisfaction at identifying a concrete and familiar enemy allows us to be distracted from the damage being done to this country by those who also bear considerable guilt. Politicians profiting off hindering legislation to ban assault weapons are also villains here, AS are those who would exploit this tragedy for personal gain.’
Over half of the U.S. wants stricter laws in place surrounding the sale of guns, especially after the assault rifle ban was lifted in 2004. Assault weapons have been used in 14 mass shootings in just the past 7 years. These weapons are so easy to get that an al-Qaeda spokesperson encouraged followers living in America to go to the gun shows and stock up on assault rifles, as most states don’t require a background check or IDs for guns being sold at gun shows. According to Mother Jones, nearly 80 percent of the mass shootings since 1982 were committed with weapons that were legally purchased.
Abdul-Jabbar said about Donald Trump and his recent behavior:
‘… crazy as Donald Trump using this as an opportunity to dumb-down America through fear-mongering. Anxious to make us forget the debacle of his racist remarks about the judge in the Trump University fraud case, he went off the offensive by being offensive. He has blamed Muslims for not turning in suspected terrorists. He called the Orlando shooter “an Afghan,” even though he was an American citizen born in New York City; he has implied that President Obama may be a terrorist sympathizer.
Nothing on restricting assault weapons.’
Watch a video of Donald Trump calling for a ban on Muslims after the Orlando massacre below:
In this article written for Time, Abdul-Jabbar says:
‘ISIS is indeed an enemy–to America, to Muslims, to the world–one that should be destroyed as quickly as possible. But we have to identify all the enemies we must fight, not just the easily targeted one that meets our need for vengeance. The satisfaction at identifying a concrete and familiar enemy allows us to be distracted from the damage being done to this country by those who also bear considerable guilt. Politicians profiting off hindering legislation to ban assault weapons are also villains here, AS are those who would exploit this tragedy for personal gain.’
Over half of the U.S. wants stricter laws in place surrounding the sale of guns, especially after the assault rifle ban was lifted in 2004. Assault weapons have been used in 14 mass shootings in just the past 7 years. These weapons are so easy to get that an al-Qaeda spokesperson encouraged followers living in America to go to the gun shows and stock up on assault rifles, as most states don’t require a background check or IDs for guns being sold at gun shows. According to Mother Jones, nearly 80 percent of the mass shootings since 1982 were committed with weapons that were legally purchased.
Abdul-Jabbar said about Donald Trump and his recent behavior:
‘… crazy as Donald Trump using this as an opportunity to dumb-down America through fear-mongering. Anxious to make us forget the debacle of his racist remarks about the judge in the Trump University fraud case, he went off the offensive by being offensive. He has blamed Muslims for not turning in suspected terrorists. He called the Orlando shooter “an Afghan,” even though he was an American citizen born in New York City; he has implied that President Obama may be a terrorist sympathizer.
Nothing on restricting assault weapons.’
Watch a video of Donald Trump calling for a ban on Muslims after the Orlando massacre below:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar concluded by noting
‘Trump, like ISIS, is really a symbol of this irrationality. They both appeal to those who feel powerless and inferior because they refuse to look at facts, weigh evidence, use logic.’ -Bipartisan Report
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